10.31.2012

Erma Bombeck, I loved you enough to tell you no

I loved you enough

Some
day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates
a parent, I will tell them:
I loved
you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would
be home.
I loved
you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself
even though we could afford to buy one for you.
I loved
you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend
was a creep.
I loved
you enough to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite
out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay
for it."
I loved
you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room,
a job that would have taken 15 minutes.
I loved
you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children
must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved
you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when
the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But
most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me
for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them,
because in the end you won, too.Erma Bombeck